The National Collegiate Athletic Association or NCAA has aged more than a century since its inception in 1906. Similar to the purpose of this organization today, it was established to protect student-athletes. However, in 1906, the organization began following numerous deaths among college and amateur players. It is evident that the NCAA was once an organization that truly cared about the athletes involved; the founding fathers even advocated for athletes to use their talents to earn a living in the off-season. Now, the NCAA “protects” students from being exploited, cheated, or even corrupted through Form 08-3a. Every year, thousands of student-athletes across the United States sign NCAA Form 08-3a which strips them of their right to receive payment for the use of their name and likeness. Like other college students, these athletes devote the majority of their time and effort to college classes. However, student-athletes may have up to 20 hours of additional athletic activity requirements per week. That doesn't include the required team meals, volunteer work, and community involvement coaches that force athletes apart. As a college athletics enthusiast for years and now a college athletics player, I have seen firsthand how impossible it is to experience college life without financial compensation. The NCAA and the universities involved are a profitable organization that labels student athletes as amateurs as a means to avoid compensating these athletes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The NCAA is a profitable organization; is making absurd amounts of money by classifying athletes as amateurs. Over the past five years, the NCAA has earned nearly a billion dollars a year from college sports. The most financially successful college sports, men's basketball and soccer, generate astonishing amounts of money. For example, the NCAA basketball tournament, March Madness, brings in between $800 and $900 million in revenue. A college team has the potential to bring millions to their conference and, in turn, their school. Yet players who put in the effort have no chance of earning anything. It's not fair to the athletes who are taken advantage of by the big businesses involved in the NCAA. This does not take into account monetary gain related to apparel sales and other licensing deals. Additionally, the NCAA has licensing deals valued at over four billion dollars. This begs the question: where is all this money going? Universities and coaches thrive on million-dollar salaries and endorsement deals while players earn nothing. College coaches' salaries are even more staggering. Mike Kryzewiski, also known as Coach K, of the Duke Blue Devils basketball team earns a salary of approximately nine million dollars per year. In total, the Duke Basketball program generates approximately $33 million annually. This means Coach K is paid more than 27% of the entire program's revenue. How can the coach “earn” so much money while the players, who are actually on the field fighting for success, receive nothing? No, college athletes shouldn't be earning million-dollar salaries, but even the smallest bit of help. Why is this controversial? In large companies, company CEOs do not even receive such a high percentage of profits. For example, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, would earn approximately $67 billion if the revenues of large.